1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a smart hanger system and more particularly to a clothes hanger construction that incorporates plastic numbering spindles with locks that convey to the user various information on the article of clothing carried on the hanger.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Many patents address issues related to hanger designs that provide the user with information pertaining to the article of clothing carried on a hanger. These patents disclose various recording means for keeping track of certain information regarding the article of clothing, but the recording means are not moisture resistant, and as a result are prone to rusting. Moisture retention and subsequent rusting of the disclosed recording means occurs during normal usage, resulting from wet or damp articles of clothing being carried on the hanger.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,124,284 to Column discloses a garment wear recorder by way of a paper blank folded over a hanger, wrapping over the upper portion of the hanger. The paper blank has an aperture and tabs, which can be folded one at a time when the garment is worn. The number of folded tabs keeps tally of garment usage. This folding process is destructive to the paper blank. When all the available fold tabs on the paper blank are used, garment usage can no longer be recorded, therefore when the garment usage is greater than the number of fold tabs available on the paper blank, the recording means is ineffective. The paper blank merely allows tallying of the number of times a garment is worn, it does not record the date last cleaned, the date last used, and is disposed to ineffectiveness if the garment's use exceeds the number of fold tabs available. Furthermore, the paper blank used in the '284 patented device is not moisture resistant and is subsequently vulnerable to water damage.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,756,104 to Bailey discloses a message device for use with clothes hangers. A cylindrical message display includes a plurality of stacked relatively rotatable cylindrical segments. Each of the segments is inscribed with messages at discrete radial increments of the peripheral surfaces thereof. The segments are housed in a frame, which clips onto the hook portion of a clothes hanger. By aligning a selection of messages against an index, the state of wear concerning the clothing on the hanger can be displayed. The message device of the '104 patent disclosure is a separate device and is not integral with the hanger. It has to be hung on the hanger; the hanger, itself, does not keep track of the article of clothing usage information. Upper barrel 21 of the message device relates to the upper clothing while the lower barrel 22 of the device relates to the lower clothing. The device displays only one set of information, not a collection of information. Specific information not included by the device comprises the date last cleaned, the date last worn and the number of times the clothing is worn.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,886,010 to Stutzman discloses a clothing wear monitoring device. A garment wear monitor records the number of times an article of clothing is worn. The monitor is removably or permanently affixed to a clothing hanger, or is removably affixed to the garment directly. Each time the garment is worn the garment wear monitor is automatically advanced by one number. As an alternative, the advancement may be accomplished manually. The garment wear monitor may also display the date on which the garment was last cleaned. A threshold indicator serves to remind the user to have the garment cleaned when a predetermined number of wearings have taken place. The garment wear monitor may display the number of wearings and the date of last cleaning by a mechanically movable scale or by an electronic digital display. The '010 patent disclosure describes different configurations of the clothes wear monitor and the device may be of the stand-alone variety, adapted to be attached to a garment or hanger. Alternatively, the device may be permanently attached to the garment hanger. Regardless of the attachment method used, the device only records date cleaned and number of times worn. It has no provision for recording the date of last use of a garment. Being electronic, the device is easily damaged with moisture and is not rustproof.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,564,361 to Satterwhite discloses a clothing usage indicator. Indicia representative of the days of the month, the days of the week, and the months of the year, are shown. Associated indicators are provided for indicating a particular day of the month, a particular day of the week, and a particular month of the year. The associated indicators are movable along the edges and along interior slots in the device. A suitable connector is provided for associating the device with an article of clothing. Preferably, the connector includes a loop or other device whereby an indicator can be slipped over the hooked end of a clothing hanger for association with a particular article of clothing. The device records the date that the article of clothing was last worn. The clothing usage indicator of the '361 patent records last usage date of clothing and has in some arrangements an unprinted area to record notes. This indicator may be attached to a garment or a hanger; but is not permanently affixed to a hanger. It does not record the date last cleaned, or the number of times worn. The arrangements using paperboard or lightweight metal may be vulnerable to moisture and therefore susceptible to rusting.
There remains a need in the art for a low cost, easy to manufacture, moisture resistant, rustproof, smart hanger system wherein a set of indicators permanently affixed to the hanger indicate to the user information regarding the article of clothing hung on the hanger. It would be particularly advantageous if information provided by the smart hanger system included 1) the date the article of clothing was last cleaned; 2) the date it was last worn; and 3) the number of times the article of clothing had been worn subsequent to the last washing or dry-cleaning.